CERN has recently procured a machine to manufacture surgical masks. This will allow the Organization to provide masks for everyone working on the CERN sites and to ensure the safety of each and every one of us during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The machine was installed in Building 947 in September and several members of the EN-SMM group (Survey, Mechatronics and Measurements) have been trained to operate it. The aim is to be able to produce 400,000 masks a month.
“CERN, like everyone, was faced with a shortage of surgical masks at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Roberto Losito, head of the EN Department, recalls. “Fortunately, in April we were able to order hundreds of thousands of masks, but the prices were exorbitant. We therefore decided to procure our own manufacturing machine: it will be much more economical in the long term and will ensure we have enough regulation-compliant masks for everyone at CERN.”
The masks produced at CERN are being tested at a French laboratory, in accordance with the EN 14683 regulations, and will receive the CE marking, which guarantees that the masks meet European Union requirements.
We would like to remind you that it is obligatory at CERN to wear a mask both inside and outside if two-metre physical distancing cannot be observed.
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For more information on CERN’s COVID-19 health and safety measures, please visit this page. All information related to COVID-19 is available here.